from Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News,

When the Red Wings’ fore-checking wanes, it is both a symptom of poor performance and a cause.

A lacking or lagging fore-check stymies their resolve to play as a tough opponent.

It is often a sign of staying in their zone too long, amid season-to-season problems with zone coverage, puck recovery and launching the transition to offense. And bottling up opponents to keep them away from your goal increases the chance for their errors to create scoring opportunities, a significant boost for a team challenged to score.

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